Europe – Western Europe

Majority of Britons support rejoining the EU single market – poll

LONDON (Reuters) - A majority of Britons support rejoining the European Union's single market even though that would mean the restoration of the free movement of workers from the bloc,…

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Netherlands politician Wilders says minority cabinet an option

AMSTERDAM, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Dutch politician Geert Wilders on Wednesday said that forming a minority government with himself as prime minister is one possibility, following last week's election in…

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Germany hit by deadly winter weather

Authorities in western Germany on Tuesday urged residents to stay home, warning of life-threatening danger, after a burst of winter weather led to hazardous roads, leaving two people dead. The…

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Spain ready to sign a deal with Britain on Gibraltar

Spain is ready to sign a deal on the post-Brexit status of Gibraltar as early as Wednesday, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said, before setting off to meet newly…

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German government unveils budget fixes as way out of crisis

Germany's ruling coalition unveiled a supplementary budget on Monday that will temporarily lift a self-imposed cap on borrowing after a constitutional court ruling tore up the government's spending plans. The…

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UPDATED: German government to agree budget fixes as way out of crisis

BERLIN, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Germany's ruling coalition was expected to agree a supplementary budget on Monday that will temporarily lift a self-imposed cap on borrowing limits after a constitutional…

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Schools closed in Belgium due to bomb alert

BRUSSELS, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Numerous Belgian schools in Brussels and the Brabant region will remain closed to pupils on Monday after a late Sunday evening bomb alert, the Wallonie-Bruxelles…

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Wilders ‘scout’ leading first phase of Dutch election talks resigns

AMSTERDAM, Nov 27 (Reuters) - The person named by Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders as "scout" to investigate workable governing coalitions after elections in which Wilders won the most seats…

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Gérard Wertheimer, Chanel owner, remains Switzerland’s richest person

Gérard Wertheimer remains at the top of the list of the 300 wealthiest people in Switzerland, who together with his brother Alain, the Frenchman owns Chanel. According to the 2023…

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UK braces for -5C temperatures

A cold front from Scandinavia is set to hit Britain with freezing temperatures and snow in the next few days. Temperatures may plunge to as low as -5C (23F) even…

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Dutch politician Wilders vows ‘I will be prime minister’

Veteran Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders vowed to be prime minister of the Netherlands eventually, following an election in which his party won the most seats. In a long post…

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UK PM Sunak’s tax cuts yield polling boost – Times/YouGov

LONDON, (Reuters) - Support for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party has risen by four percentage points following the announcement of tax cuts and financial support this week, the…

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Dutch parties tackle tricky coalition talks after Wilders’ shock poll win

By Toby Sterling and Bart H. Meijer AMSTERDAM, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Dutch party leaders meet on Friday for the first time since anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders won Wednesday's elections…

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UPDATED: Irish police make 34 arrests after unprecedented Dublin rioting

DUBLIN, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Irish police on Friday said they had made 34 arrests for rioting in Dublin overnight and that more protests could follow after the stabbing of…

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UK voters face ‘living standards disaster’, think tank says

By William Schomberg and David Milliken LONDON, Nov 23 (Reuters) - British voters are set to suffer a "living standards disaster", despite Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt's new tax cut plan,…

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UPDATED: UK net migration hit new record high in 2022 in latest blow for Sunak

Net migration figure for 2022 revised up to 745,000 Official data shows 12 months to end June at 672,000 Interior minister says wants to target visa abuse By Sarah Young…

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Britons face higher energy bills after Ofgem raises price cap

By Susanna Twidale Nov 23 (Reuters) - Most British households will face higher energy bills from January after regulator Ofgem increased its price cap by 5% to reflect a rise…

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UPDATED: Far-right’s Wilders seeks to form Dutch govt after shock election win

By Bart H. Meijer, Charlotte Van Campenhout and Ingrid Melander AMSTERDAM, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Dutch anti-EU far-right populist Geert Wilders will start looking for coalition partners on Thursday after…

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Britain’s Hunt makes business investment tax break permanent to drive growth

Britain's finance minister Jeremy Hunt made a tax break for business investment permanent on Wednesday, aiming to kickstart the country's economy with more investment. Britain has suffered from weak business…

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Dutch candidates snipe, scramble for undecided voters in race to deliver PM

Top candidates have gone on the offensive in the final days of the Netherlands' national election, with late polls showing Labour leader Frans Timmermans and anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders making…

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EPA’s Eye In The Sky: Eltz Castle, Mueden, Germany

A view of Eltz Castle with the autumnally discoloured forest near Mueden, Germany. Eltz Castle founded in the 9th and mainly built in the 12th century is still owned by…

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UK says new science initiative to work on climate-resilient crops

LONDON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will announce a new science initiative to bring together work on developing climate-resilient crops as his government hosts a Global…

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Cornwall hit by 2.7-magnitude earthquake

Parts of Cornwall were shaken on Sunday by a mild earthquake, with people saying it felt like an explosion or avalanche. The British Geological Survey (BGS) said a 2.7-magnitude tremor…

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Britain taking ‘leisurely’ approach to tackling obesity, say lawmakers

LONDON, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Britain's government is taking a "leisurely" approach to tackling unhealthy eating habits and needs to do more to make sure people can get hold of…

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UK’s Hunt offers incentives, penalties to get more people into work

By Andy Bruce British finance minister Jeremy Hunt on Thursday announced incentives and sanctions aimed at tackling the country's soaring levels of inactivity among working-age people, an increasingly acute economic…

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NATO to replace AWACS surveillance jets with modified Boeing 737

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO will replace its ageing fleet of AWACS surveillance planes, in service since the Cold War in the 1980s, with a militarised version of the Boeing 737…

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British lawyer found guilty of ‘tipping off’ Malta based client about fraud probe

By Sam Tobin LONDON (Reuters) - A British lawyer was found guilty on Tuesday of "tipping off" his client about a money laundering investigation by Britain's fraud watchdog, which was…

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Ex-finance minister Frieden becomes Luxembourg’s new PM

BRUSSELS, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Luxembourg's former finance minister Luc Frieden will become the country's new prime minister, leading a government coalition of his Christian democratic party and the liberal…

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French President Macron speaks up for Swiss neutrality

French President Emanuel Macron said he respects the tradition of Swiss neutrality, which is behind a refusal to allow war material re-exports to Ukraine. At the same time, he expressed his…

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UK’s Sunak comes out fighting after court defeat on Rwanda asylum plan

By Andrew Macaskill and Michael Holden LONDON, (Reuters) - After suffering a devastating defeat in the country's top court, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak aims to revive his flagship immigration…

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King Charles celebrates 75th birthday by launching new food project

Britain's King Charles celebrates his 75th birthday on Tuesday and will use the occasion to launch a new scheme to tackle food poverty and cut down on waste.The king, who…

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Critics call David Cameron’s return to UK Government as ‘desperate’

Seven years ago, David Cameron left Downing Street after his big gamble to hold a referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union backfired and brought his six-year term as prime…

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Amsterdam marchers demand climate action as Dutch election nears

Tens of thousands of protesters marched through Amsterdam on Sunday demanding immediate action against climate change, 10 days before the country holds a general election. Local police said around 70,000 people joined…

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Former UK PM Cameron returns to government as foreign secretary

Former British leader David Cameron was named as the country's new Foreign Secretary on Monday, in a surprise appointment made by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as he reshuffled his top team. David Cameron, 57,…

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Germany set to double Ukraine military aid under Scholz plan

German chancellor Olaf Scholz's governing coalition has agreed in principle to double the country's military aid for Ukraine next year to 8 billion euros ($8.5 billion), a political source in…

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Why the search for the Loch Ness monster continues 90 years after that first blurry photograph

Hugh Gray was taking his usual post-church walk around Loch Ness in Scotland on a November Sunday in 1933. His amble was disrupted when he saw something bobbing above the…

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Calls increase for Sunak to sack Braverman mount as she is accused of spawning ‘hatred’

Rishi Sunak is facing intensifying calls to sack Suella Braverman for stoking tensions ahead of Armistice Day protests, with Sir Keir Starmer accusing the Home Secretary of spawning “hatred and…

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King Charles to appear on Big Issue cover for 75th birthday

Britain's King Charles will appear on the cover of the Big Issue, the magazine sold by homeless and vulnerable people, as he marks his 75th birthday by shining a spotlight…

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Germany’s Scholz looking ‘closely’ at Italy’s migrant deal with Albania

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz signalled an openness to study Italy's deal to hold migrants in Albania as the European Union tries to stem illegal immigration. "Bear in mind that Albania…

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Germany set to double its Ukraine military aid under Scholz plan

(Reuters) - German chancellor Olaf Scholz's governing coalition has agreed to double German military aid for Ukraine next year to 8 billion euros ($8.54 billion), Bloomberg News reported, citing people…

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Germany pledges to make its military ‘the backbone of defence in Europe’

By Sabine Siebold BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany will strengthen its military to make it the backbone of deterrence and collective defence in Europe, its defence minister pledged as Berlin issued…

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Marking “Kristallnacht” pogrom, Scholz expresses shame over anti-semitism wave

BERLIN, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he was "ashamed and outraged" at a recent wave of anti-Semitic incidents in Germany, warning Berlin would not tolerate such anti-Jewish…

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Calls increase for Sunak to sack Braverman

Labour and the Liberal Democrats have urged Rishi Sunak to sack Suella Braverman after she accused the police of “playing favourites” with protesters. Labour’s shadow business secretary Jonathan Reynolds told…

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UK focuses on child safety at the start of new online regime

LONDON, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Britain's communications regulator said tech companies must focus on protecting children from abuse, grooming and pro-suicide content, in its first steps as the enforcer of…

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Germany to send fighter jets to Romania; To withdraw Patriot units from Poland

BERLIN, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Germany will deploy four Eurofighter jets to Romania to support NATO's air policing mission from the end of November, a security source said, weeks after…

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London pro-Palestinian march to proceed, Sunak asks police for safety assurances

By Michael Holden LONDON, (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak demanded assurances from London's police chief that a pro-Palestinian march scheduled for Saturday would be held safely, even as…

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Britain targets Russian gold, oil sectors in new sanctions

LONDON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Britain on Wednesday imposed sanctions on 29 individuals and entities in Russia's gold and oil sectors, as it targets the Kremlin's finances supporting the war…

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Britain says makers, not car owners liable for self-driving crashes

By Alistair Smout and Nick Carey Britain will make the makers rather than the owners of self-driving cars legally liable for any crashes under a framework for developing autonomous vehicles…

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PM Sunak to hold Metropolitan Police chief ‘accountable’ for allowing pro-Palestinian protest on Armistice Day

Rishi Sunak said he will hold the chief of the Metropolitan Police "accountable" for allowing a pro-Palestinian demonstration to go ahead on Armistice Day. The prime minister will meet Sir…

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UPDATED: Toy gun scare leads to German school evacuation

German police escorted students out of a school in the northern city of Hamburg on Wednesday, acting on information that two youths had entered a classroom and brandished something that…

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Britain bans ‘laughing gas’ to curb anti-social behaviour

LONDON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - A ban on the recreational use and possession of nitrous oxide, also known as 'laughing gas', comes into force in Britain on Wednesday, with people…

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WATCH: With crime in focus, UK’s Sunak sets out pre-election agenda in King’s Speech

Britain's government set out its plans to tackle crime, boost growth and water down climate change measures on Tuesday, an unashamedly political agenda that could be Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's…

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British pensions could invest 1.2 trln pounds in climate projects, with policy help-report

Britain's pensions industry could invest up to 1.2 trillion pounds ($1.5 trillion), half the capital needed by 2035 to put the UK on track to its net-zero goals, if there…

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Germany’s tougher migration policy marks ‘historic moment,’ says Scholz

Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who seeks to reduce the number of asylum seekers and stem support for the far-right, agreed on a tougher migration policy and new funding for refugees with the…

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Just 4% of top companies meet UN climate target guidelines – study

By Simon Jessop LONDON, (Reuters) - Half of the world's 2,000 biggest listed companies have set a target to get to net-zero emissions by mid-century, but just a fraction meet…

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King Charles expected to pay tribute to the late Queen at his first State Opening of Parliament

King Charles is expected to pay tribute to his late mother when he delivers his first State Opening of Parliament speech as monarch on Tuesday. The event, known for its…

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EPA’s Eye In The Sky: Kaub, Germany

An aerial view on Pfalzgrafenstein Castle on a sand bank in the Rhine river in Kaub, Germany. Via EPA/THOMAS FREY

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